Dia buena

(headless man in Al Centro)

Hola! Everything is fabulous in Argentina! Yesterday was a great day. The boyfriend bought a ticket and is going to be visiting me here in May! We are going to take a trip to Iguazu Falls which is a 2 mile long waterfall that has been named one of the new 7 wonders of the world. I still don't really believe that he'll be here because sometimes I can't even believe that I've been here for 5 weeks. I keep having these moments where I stop what I'm doing and remember that I'm living in Argentina. It's a very grounding feeling and I'm finding it difficult to imagine what it'll be like to be at home again after living here. In only two days, I leave for the Andes. I cannot wait! Last night I met mis amigas at Patio Olmos for some shopping. Every weekend in Al Centro, there is a huge open market called La Feria. It is 5 or so streets of stands and shops with every cool thing you could think of: hand made jewelry, antiques, insence, paintings, old records, hand painted china, bicycle chain sculptures, and my personal favorite-fresh, warm cotton candy. The atmosphere at La Feria was nothing short of full. That may be an interesting adjective to choose, but that's the best way to describe it. Full of people, full of voices, full of bargaining, full of items, full of life. It didn't take long for the 6 of us to feel slightly overwhelmed as it was hard to stay together in such a crowd. But, I loved it and could've stayed there all night slowly examining everything and taking in all of the fullness. One of my friend's host sisters owns a shop close to La Feria so we stopped there. I finally found the perfect maxi dress that I have been determined to find while I'm in Argentina. It is hand painted and actually long enough for me, which is a victory because everything here is made in petite sizes. I also began the souvenir shopping for some of my friends. When I got home at 12:00, I was surprised to find that there was a party going on at my house. The uncle, brother, cousin, and friends of Raul were in town from Buenos Aires. They had just finished eating dinner and everyone was sitting around drinking Fernet and talking. New born baby Santi was there. Because he was born a month early, he is SO tiny. He weighs only 2 kilograms. I was amazed at how late it was, and the party seemed to just be starting. I sat and visited with Fernando and Jorge (the husbands of my host sisters) and played with Jorgito for a couple of hours. I later fell asleep to everyone, including Raul's 85 year old uncle, laughing and singing. The family dynamic, pure love for life, and daily quest for life's pleasures in Argentina have to be the most beautiful parts of the culture and the ones that I can learn the most from. Hope all is well with my readers! I'm nearing 1,300 views so thanks for reading!
Hasta Luego,
--Alex